Backups, import and deleting

Last updated 15 August 2026

Your projects exist in your browser's storage — and only there, until you make a copy. A browser can lose its storage: site data cleared, the browser uninstalled, rarely the system reclaiming space. "Export backup" on the Data screen is the answer, and it takes seconds.

What the export contains

One file, named like yarn-diary-2026-08-15.crochet — a plain JSON file under a friendlier extension, openable in any text editor. It holds every project with all parts, rounds, ticked progress, notes, and by default every photo, embedded in the file. Photos make the file big; "Export without photos (small file)" keeps just the text side for a quick safety copy. Your preferences (US/UK terms, photo quality and so on) ride along too.

Importing: three modes, one honest dialog

"Import file" asks what the file should do, because the right answer differs:

Update my projects — the everyday choice. Projects in the file are reconciled with the ones on the device using the same merge rules as Drive sync: rounds ticked on either side survive, newer text wins field by field, nothing is silently discarded.
Add as copies — everything in the file comes in as brand-new projects alongside what's there. This is the mode for restoring onto a device that already has different work, or for a backup someone shared with you: it cannot overwrite anything.
Replace all — the current projects are removed first, then the file's projects take their place. The removals count as real deletions, so a connected Drive follows suit rather than restoring what you replaced.

Two safeties worth knowing: the whole file is decoded and checked before anything is touched, so a corrupt file can't half-wipe a device; and a backup made by a newer version of Yarn Diary is refused outright rather than imported wrongly.

What "Delete everything" actually deletes

The button in the danger zone removes every project, pattern, round and photo from this browser, and the deletions propagate to Drive if you sync — the projects will not come back on the next sync, by design. It does not touch the backup files you exported, the files already in your Google Drive folder, your settings, or the Drive connection itself (disconnect separately if you want that gone). And it cannot be undone, which is what the confirmation dialog says in as many words.

A sensible routine

Turn on "Ask the browser to keep this data" on the Data screen once — it asks the browser to treat Yarn Diary's storage as persistent rather than reclaimable.
Export a backup when a project crosses from "experiment" to "counts". The Data screen shows when you last did.
Or connect Drive sync and get continuous copies for free — backup files then become the belt to sync's braces.